Fillmore students and their families celebrate reading

ANDREW LOPEZ/THE STAR
David Lopez looks over a table full of books before deciding on "Guinness World Records: Astonishing Animals Up Close." Lopez said he chose the book because he loves animals.

Ventura County Star

ANDREW LOPEZ/THE STAR
Author and guest speaker Paula Phillips autographs books after talking to Fillmore students and their families about the importance of reading and always believing in themselves. Phillips is the founder of local nonprofit Right Road Kids!

Ventura County Star

ANDREW LOPEZ/THE STAR
Students and their families look through an assortment of free books during Tuesday's Family Reading Fiesta. Students received a book bag, a book and dinner during the event.

The voices of more than 100 young students shouted, "yes" inside the Fillmore Middle School gym Tuesday evening when local author and special guest speaker Paula Phillips asked if they believed in themselves and planned on reading.

The speech was part of the outreach at the Family Reading Fiesta, which attracted hundreds of third-graders and their families. The event was hosted by the Fillmore Unified School District's local Reading is Fundamental program and paid for by a $5,000 grant to encourage family literacy.

"When there's more reading at home it promotes learning," RIF coordinator and event organizer Jennifer Weir said. "We're just encouraging parents to get involved."

Students and their families arrived before the event, waiting in line to receive the book, "The Bellows Bunch: Peter's Talent Trouble," written and signed by Phillips, a Simi Valley resident.

Having the book signed by Phillips was the highlight of Juliana Linares' night. Juliana, 9, a fourth-grader at Mountain Vista School, said she had met the author five times before. Juliana said she told Phillips "her books are awesome."

Juliana's mother, Amanda Cardenas, said getting her children to read at a young age will help prepare them for their future.

"It's especially important for their learning skills and language skills," Cardenas said. "When they get into high school, they're going to need all those skills."

Phillips founded the Ventura County-based nonprofit Right Road Kids!

She also distributed book bags filled with a pencil, a sharpener, a crayon pen and a bracelet to students. Parents received a newsletter that provided more material on how to make their homes more literacy-friendly.

The last step of the event was for students to choose a free book from among about 1,000 spread across several tables.

David Lopez, 8, a third-grader at Mountain Vista, paid close attention as he scanned the books for something he was interested in. When he finally decided on one, he had chosen "Guinness World Records: Astonishing Animals Up Close" because of his love of animals. He said he was drawn to the event because he loves to read.

Rosa Lopez, David's mother, said the event was well organized and that her three grade-school children were excited to be there. She said it was a great way for parents to start getting involved in their children's education.

"The parents feel comfortable and (it) gets them more involved to read with their children," the mother said.

When all the students and their families had filed into the gym and chosen a book, they sat and listened to a motivational story told by Phillips. She talked of her own struggles reading when she was younger and how her belief in herself led her to a career revolving around reading, writing, and working with youths. She delighted the audience with balloon animals and juggling while emphasizing to the students that they can do anything if they put in the effort.

"Even if something is hard, you can do anything you set your mind to," Phillips said. "You just have to believe in yourself and never give up."

Weir noted that federal funding for book distribution to migrant students has been cut, but said the grant, provided in March by the nonprofit and Macy's, was flexible and allowed a larger group of students to benefit from the program.

"We've never had the money laying around to hold something like this," Weir said.